A LONGITUDINAL EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECT OF RESILIENCE AGAINST ANXIETY DURING COVID-19

Abstract This longitudinal study of community dwelling older adults (N = 453) examined consequences of COVID-related worries on changes in anxiety symptoms before relative to during the pandemic. We further evaluated if pre-COVID psychological resilience (PR) buffered the impact of COVID-related worry. Pre-COVID data were collected in September 2018. COVID-related worry and COVID anxiety symptoms were collected in October 2020 (Wave 2). Controlling for pre-COVID anxiety symptoms, we examined if COVID-related worries (e.g., I’m worried that I might die from COVID-19) were associated with increased anxiety symptoms, and whether pre-COVID PR moderated the association between COVID-related worries and prospective increases in anxiety symptoms. COVID-related worries were associated with increased anxiety symptoms (β = 0.005, p < .01), whereas pre-COVID PR was associated with a decrease in anxiety symptoms (β = -0.029, p < .05). PR moderated the association; COVID-related worries were associated with greater increases in anxiety symptoms among those with low pre-COVID PR (Model η2 = 0.35). Thus, the extent to which COVID-related worries influenced psychological health was dependent on pre-COVID levels of PR. We conclude the combined vulnerabilities of low pre-COVID PR and high COVID-related worries significantly increased the psychological consequences of COVID-19 for our sample of older adults.

middle and late adulthood.Drawing from 11 waves of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study , we followed over twenty-three thousand married individuals 50 and older over the study period that spanned nearly two decades (person-wave observations N=128,033).Cognitive function at each wave was evaluated using a modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (m-TICS).Research aims were addressed using withinbetween random effects models that yielded within-person estimates unconfounded by person-level characteristics.Approximately 4.4% and 17.7% of the study sample experienced divorce and widowhood transitions during the observation period.The model results indicated that divorce transitions were unrelated to changes in cognitive function.Cognitive outcomes associated with widowhood transitions were heterogeneous for women and men, where women who transitioned to widowhood experienced increases in cognitive function, whereas men experienced reductions in cognitive function.These findings are discussed in the context of implications for practice and policy.This longitudinal study of community dwelling older adults (N = 453) examined consequences of COVID-related worries on changes in anxiety symptoms before relative to during the pandemic.We further evaluated if pre-COVID psychological resilience (PR) buffered the impact of COVIDrelated worry.Pre-COVID data were collected in September 2018.COVID-related worry and COVID anxiety symptoms were collected in October 2020 (Wave 2).Controlling for pre-COVID anxiety symptoms, we examined if COVIDrelated worries (e.g., I'm worried that I might die from COVID-19) were associated with increased anxiety symptoms, and whether pre-COVID PR moderated the association between COVID-related worries and prospective increases in anxiety symptoms.COVID-related worries were associated with increased anxiety symptoms (β = 0.005, p < .01),whereas pre-COVID PR was associated with a decrease in anxiety symptoms (β = -0.029,p < .05).PR moderated the association; COVID-related worries were associated with greater increases in anxiety symptoms among those with low pre-COVID PR (Model η2 = 0.35).Thus, the extent to which COVID-related worries influenced psychological health was dependent on pre-COVID levels of PR.We conclude the combined vulnerabilities of low pre-COVID PR and high COVID-related worries significantly increased the psychological consequences of COVID-19 for our sample of older adults.

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
Abstract citation ID: igad104.2142

A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF SELF-HELP GUIDED BY LAY PROVIDERS FOR GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER IN OLDER ADULTS
Philippe Landreville 1 , Sébastien Grenier 2 , Patrick Gosselin 3 , and Pierre-Hugues Carmichael 4 , 1. Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, 2. Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 3. Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, 4. Centre d'Excellence sur le Vieillissement de Quebec, Quebec, Quebec, Canada Low use of professional help for anxiety disorders in older adults may be due in part to limited access to mental health services.Self-help guided by lay providers (LPs) could help improve access to treatment.This study evaluated the efficacy and long-term outcomes of self-help guided by LPs for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in older adults.Participants (≥ 60 years) with threshold or subthreshold GAD were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 75) or a wait-list control group (n = 75).Intervention group participants used a manual presenting readings and exercises based on principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy and received weekly support calls by LPs.Groups were similar in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and initially did not differ significantly on outcomes.At post-treatment, the intervention group had decreased significantly on various measures while the wait-list group remained stable: Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7): -4.8 vs -.03; Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ): -11.7 vs .07;Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI): -5.3 vs -.07.Probability of having a diagnosis of threshold GAD decreased significantly more in the intervention group (79% to 16% vs 74% to 53%).Intervention group scores on the GAD-7, the PSWQ, and the GAI as well as probability of having a diagnosis of threshold GAD remained stable at 6-and 12-month follow-ups.Results provide evidence of the efficacy of self-help guided by LPs for GAD in older adults as well as of the maintenance of improvement following this treatment.

A STUDY ON THE TYPES OF CHANGES IN DEPRESSION AND COVID-19 AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN KOREA
Kyu-Hyoung Jeong 1 , Ju Hyun Ryu 2 , Seoyoon Lee 2 , and Sunghee Kim 2 , 1. Semyung University, Jecheon, Republic of Korea,2. Yonsei University,Seoul,Republic of Korea This study focuses on the long-term trends in depression levels in older adults, with a particular focus on the period following the onset of COVID-19.While previous studies have examined depression levels in older adults, this study aims to complement those studies by providing a longitudinal perspective.This study used data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study(KoWePS), which included 2,716 data of older adults aged 65 and above, from 2017 to 2021.The study variables included gender, age, income, educational background, residential area, living alone, and disability status.The results of this study identified two types of changes in depression levels in older adults: the 'rapidly rising' type and the 'steadily increasing' type.The study found that those who were more likely to belong to the 'rapidly rising' type were those with lower equalized annual income, women, those with lower education, those living in urban areas, and those living alone.
These findings suggest that those who are already at risk for depression are at even higher risk during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Given these findings, it is crucial to provide timely and effective guidelines to prevent depression in older adults during outbreaks of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.Policymakers should consider the findings of this study when implementing policies aimed at preventing depression in older adults.Overall, this study provides important insights into the long-term trends in depression levels in older adults and highlights the importance of addressing this issue in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.Research has identified that engaging in activities is associated with lower levels of depression among older adults.However, there is less discussion about how changes in participation in different types of productive social activities (PSAs) affect depression in later life.This study examined data from Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging, including 2,865 participants aged 55 or above, from 2011 (T1) to 2015 (T2).The relationship between changes in PSAs and depression was tested through six regression models.Results indicated that: 1. Older adults who dropped out from work or were continuously unemployed experienced higher levels of T2 depression compared to those who remained continuously employed.2. Older adults who never volunteered experienced higher levels of T2 depression compared to those who continuously engaged in volunteering.3. Engaging in informal caregiving for relatives did not reduce T2 depression.In contrast, older adults who dropped out of providing care for other adults experienced lower levels of T2 depression compared to those who continuously offered care.This study shows that older people tend to gradually decrease their engagement in PSAs in later life, but those who continue to engage in PSAs tend to have lower levels of depression over time.Employment and volunteering appear to predict depression.It is worth noting that while informal caregiving is also considered a PSA, people who stopped providing care for other adults experience lower levels of depression.This research calls for further investigation into mechanisms of varied type of PSAs affect wellbeing in later life.